ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rule — a law
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — a trace
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — of water
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — electric
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — happening now
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com